Process of making leather material.



L. HEIMANN. PROCESS OF MAKING LEATHER MATERIAL.

' APPLICATION FILED DEG. 7, 1912.

1,133,957. rapentea'manso, 1915.

Inventor:

' WWWM Um ED STATES PATE 1m omen.

LEON rmmhNN, or New YORK,

N. Y., ASSIG-NOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro LiVE LEATHER. BELT '00., or NEW'YORK, N. Y., A.CORPORA' 1ION on NEW YORK.

Process or MAKING LEATHERIMATERIAL' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

Application filed December. 7, 1912. Serial No. 735,402.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON HEIMANN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Making Leather Material, of which the following is a specification,

It is generally understood that leather, especially when of any substantial thickness, is non-elastic, but while yielding very slightly to tensional .strain, is practically non-elastic.

The object of my invention is to produce a leather material which consists of leather so treated. handled, and manipulated, that t has all the effect of elasticity, in the uses to which it is put. Such material is particutimes softening by and larly useful in the form of strips or hands where strength and durability are desirable, coupled with an elastic property of stretchng under strain and power to return to its original length when the strain is removed. To accomplish this object, I take a piece of leather of such thickness, quality and size as may be desirable and put it through a process of crimping and steaming and somevarious fluids until the leather has become softened without any substantial weakening, and its pores opened. Then I rubberize the leather as the process is called which consists briefly in coating the inner side of the leather with a rubberlike fluid which penetrates the pores of the leather to a certain extent and solidifies. This rubberizing is done while the leather is stretched and still soft, with its pores open its crimps or corrugations nearly or fully flattened out. Finally the stretchlng strain-is removed so that the materlal contracts lengthwise as the rubber sets.

In applying this leather material to pra c tical use,I will take the case of a belt strip which may be formed in a continuous row to be cut up afterward to the des red lengths. I have selected this simply for purposes of illustration, as it is to be understood that my improved leather material is capable of application to a great many purposes, and is not intended to be confined to belts.

In the accompanying drawing, have shown two ways of using this material for belts for men or women.

Figure '1 is a perspective view of a belt made of my improved leather materlal. Flg.

' plied 2 is an enlarged front elevation. of a piece of said belt, and Fig. 3 is a rear elevation thereof. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of- Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 asection on the line 55 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an enlarged rear elevation of a portion of a belt made in almost but not quite the same manner, being a modification yet to be described. Fig. 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Same letters indicate difi'erent figures. I

A represents the piece of my improved leather material which forms the face, .and

sometimes also the back of the belt.

B is' a strip of sheet rubber elastic web bingor other elastic material which forms abe y around which said leathermaterial is wrapped or folded.

is the separate backing piece which may be used or not as preferred, and may be of thin leather, linen or other suitable material as desired.

The difference between the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and that illustrated in Fig. 6, is that two pieces of my improved material are illustrated in the first two views, the edges of the rear piece C lapping the turned-over edges of the front piece A; whereas in Fig. 6 a single wider strip is passed around the body or core B and'its edges overlapped with each other as shown. Fig. 6, however, shows the piece of belt under tensionso that the crimps have disap .eared.

n the process of making material, the sheet or strip A i t crimped transversely of its length by any suitable means forming no part of this invention, and if there is a separate strip C that is similarly treated, but it is treated separately from the strip A and the parts connected later as above set forth. In the drawings the crimps are illustrated as extending straight across the strip, but this is not necessary so long as their general direction 1s transverse to its length. The piece of ma terial is then put under tension to stretch it longitudinally slightly, whereby the crimps are caused to nearly or fully dlsappear and the pores in the leather are opened. I then apply a rubberizing agent, which maybe ofany suitable character and apin any suitable manner forming no part of this invention; but the fact that the pores are opened at this time permits 110 m6 iniproved s s different parts in the 88 the agent may be accompanied 2 article is i the entrance of the agent thereinto. By.

preference this agent is applied while it is hot and fluid, and also while the material A isheated if'desired; and the apfirlication of y pressure. Next I remove the tension from the material and allow it to contract to its former crimped condition, either fully or partly; and in this condition I permit the rubber- 10 izing agentto set. In other words, the tensionis removed before the rubberi'zing agent has set and yet after it has entered the pores;

and if pressure is employed, I, prefer to apply it before the agent has set and while it is still in a plastic or sticky condition so qthatit may be to an extent forced into the pores.

The means of applying this leather ma- A variety of ornamental effects can be ing in crimping a secured in this; wa by action upon the softened leather during the process of treatment, and by variations in the crimping, an effect resembling alligator skin or some other hide can be produced as shown in Fig. 2 of the cr1mp lines being either the drawing; regular or irregular as desired.

I claim;

1. The herein described recess for manufacturing leather materia the same consisting in crimping a strip of leather transversely to itslength, puttmg'it. under longitudinal tension, applying a rubberizing agent, removmg the tension, and-permittingv said a cut to set. I

2. he herein described process for manufacturing leather material,the same consiststrip of leather transversely to its length-putting 'it under longitudinal tension, applying a rubberizing agent, applying pressure to force agent into the pores. of the leather, removing the tension from the latter, and

agent to set.

LEON HEIMANN. I Witnesses: I v

Enenwox'rn Warm,

W. P. Parana.

permitting the 

